Major brands and a variety of news sites — from established outlets to internet-only gossip sites — are among the winners from Google’s recent algorithm update that aimed to reward fresh and more recent content.

The findings come from SearchMetrics, the same company that has fairly accurately estimated Panda-related winners and losers several times this year. SearchMetrics uses a “visibility score” that’s based on analyzing millions of keywords; the numbers below are related to that score, and not to specific traffic gains or losses.

Freshness Algorithm Winners

The list below is lengthy, and divided into site types — brands are listed first, then celebrity news and other types of sites. As you’d expect, several news sites appear to have been rewarded with more visibility after Google’s shift to fresher results. But it’s odd to see several travel-related brands (Hotels.com, SouthwestVacations.com, NationalCar.com, etc.) and pizza sites (Dominos.com and PapaJohns.com) also getting visibility boosts after the algorithm change.

Freshness Algorithm Losers

Searchmetrics’ list of losers also has a variety of different types of sites — the same kinds that made the winners list. There are news sites (Independent.co.uk), government sites (NJ.gov and CPSC.gov) and brand sites (AmericanExpress.com and CapitalOne.com, among others).

Also of note is the inclusion of Google’s own Blogger.com at the bottom of the losers list — Searchmetrics says that domain dropped 20% in its visibility index.

Google announced the algorithm change last week, saying it wanted to show better results in situations where new/fresh content was needed. Google said the change impacts roughly 35% of all searches.

About The Author

Matt McGee is the Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. After leaving traditional media in the mid-1990s, he began developing and marketing websites and continued to provide consulting services for more than 15 years. His SEO and social media clients ranged from mom-and-pop small businesses to one of the Top 5 online retailers. Matt is a longtime speaker at marketing events around the U.S., including keynote and panelist roles. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog. You can reach Matt via email using our Contact page.

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